The pushback against palm oil

SINGAPORE (Dec 7): The pushback against palm oil is escalating given the industry has been accused of everything from widespread deforestation and transboundary pollution to displacement of wildlife and even human rights abuses.

Next year, the EU will finalise a method to determine which biofuels are high-risk in terms of climate change. The EU may then stop using those high-risk crops in biofuel by 2030. While palm oil is not specifically named, fears are that the crop will be targeted.

Palm oil is also becoming unfashionable among retail brands. Popular cosmetics brand Lush, for instance, is removing most palm oil from its supply chain because it has not identified “any fully sustainable and traceable” palm oil sources. While calling Certified Sustainable Palm Oil (CSPO) a positive step, the brand notes that only 20% of all palm oil is certified today. “We’re not convinced that palm oil can ever be truly sustainable,” Lush says on its website.